After a successful debut in London, especially for gold medal American Claressa Shields and Ireland’s Katie Taylor, women’s boxing is officially being added to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland according to the event’s organizers.
“Women boxers have reached world-class levels over the last couple of years,” said AIBA president Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu in a statement. “The Commonwealth Games will be another opportunity for these athletes to showcase their talents.”
Women’s boxing faced criticism and controversy in the past, and submitted to a general consensus that it was inappropriate for women. The sport lost out on inclusion at the Beijing Games, but was finally added to the London schedule for 2012. IOC President Jacques Rogge said the decision was “vindicated” after watching the women’s gold medal matches live, and said he hopes it inspires more women to take up the sport.
The women will compete in the same three weight classes in the Commonwealth Games as they did in the Olympics – flyweight (50kg), lightweight (60kg), and middleweight (75kg) – but Wu and the AIBA are aiming to double that number by the time the Rio Games roll around in 2016.